Sports
Kayla McBride, Lynx down Fire for fifth straight win
Jul 18, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) passes the ball away from the defense of the Portland Fire in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Kayla McBride scored 24 points on 9-for-14 shooting, and the Minnesota Lynx held on for a 101-93 win over the Portland Fire on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Natasha Howard added 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting for Minnesota (20-6), which won its fifth game in a row and completed its homestand with a perfect 4-0 mark. Courtney Williams scored 15 points and dished seven assists.
Lynx rookie Olivia Miles recorded a double-double one game after she rolled her ankle on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Sparks. Miles finished with 14 points and a game-high 10 assists, but she missed nine of 14 shots from the field.
Bridget Carleton scored 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting to lead Portland (11-15), which failed in its bid for back-to-back victories. Carleton shined against her former team, which lost her to the Fire in the expansion draft during the offseason.
Sarah Ashlee Barker scored 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting for the Fire. Carla Leite also scored 21 points, and Emily Engstler finished with 12 points and a team-high six rebounds.
The Lynx led 24-16 at the end of the first quarter. They grabbed a double-digit lead in the early going when McBride made a running jump shot to give Minnesota a 22-12 advantage with 1:42 remaining in the opening session.
By halftime, Minnesota led 47-39. Serah Williams sprinted toward the basket and made a running layup to bring the Fire within eight points in the final minute of the first half.
The Lynx outscored the Fire 28-21 in the third quarter to increase their advantage to 75-60.
Minnesota finished the third quarter on an 8-0 run to seize a commanding lead. Antonia Delaere started the run with a pair of free throws, Courtney Williams made a pull-up jump shot, Dorka Juhasz added a basket, and then Juhasz helped finish the run when she assisted on a floating jump shot by Maya Caldwell.
The Fire fell behind by 19 points when Anastasiia Olairi Kosu made a layup to put the Lynx on top 81-62 with 8:48 left. Portland, which oustcored Minnesota 33-26 in the fourth quarter, got within six points with about two minutes left but could get no closer.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Another big night from Kayla McBride carries Lynx past Storm
Jul 20, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride (21) shoots the ball while guarded by Seattle Storm forward Katie Lou Samuelson (33) during the first half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images Kayla McBride scored a game-high 33 points Monday night and Courtney Williams made two late foul shots that enabled the visiting Minnesota Lynx to outgun the Seattle Storm 105-102.
Williams’ free throws with 4.0 seconds left put Minnesota (21-6) ahead by three and forced Seattle to hunt a 3-pointer that could force overtime. But Flau’Jae Johnson missed from the right wing just before time expired.
Rookie Olivia Miles added 32 points, plus eight rebounds and eight assists, to augment McBride’s seventh straight game of at least 20 points. Williams finished with 21 as the Lynx connected on 37 of 76 field goals and made 21 of 22 foul shots.
Johnson scored 26 points to pace the Storm (6-22), who fell to 0-11 in games decided by five points or less. Zia Cooke came off the bench to add 18 points, while Dominique Malonga chipped in 14 points and Natisha Hiedeman hit for 12.
Seattle led 90-86 when Malonga hit a floater with 4:41 remaining, but McBride and Miles combined for eight points in a 10-2 spurt that gave Minnesota the lead for good at 96-92.
The teams play again on Wednesday in their last game before All-Star weekend.
Minnesota entered the game with the WNBA’s best record but was looking to make improvements on defense after coach Cheryl Reeve criticized its performance on that end in Saturday night’s 101-93 win over Portland.
Instead, she got another game where the Lynx had to outscore the opponent. They led 23-13 at the 2:56 mark of the first quarter as Miles converted a layup but Seattle closed within 27-23 behind eight points from its bench.
The Storm erupted for 31 points in the second quarter, including six on the same possession by Johnson. She made three foul shots after a flagrant foul on Miles, then drained a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession that helped Seattle take a 54-53 edge to halftime.
Minnesota led 77-70 late in the third quarter before a four-point play from Katie Lou Samuelson got the Storm within 79-77 going to the fourth period.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cal Raleigh's grand slam more than enough for Mariners vs. Reds
Jul 20, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) hits a grand-slam home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the seventh inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Cal Raleigh hit a grand slam and George Kirby pitched six scoreless innings as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Cincinnati Reds 8-0 Monday night in the opener of a three-game interleague series.
Victor Robles went 4-for-4 and scored twice for the Mariners, who won their third consecutive game and moved into first place in the American League West by a half-game over Texas.
Kirby (8-8) allowed three hits — back-to-back singles by Edwin Arroyo and Ke’Bryan Hayes leading off the third and a one-out infield single by Dane Myers in the fifth. Kirby, a right-hander, walked one batter and struck out six.
The Mariners broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth. Robles led off with a single off Andrew Abbott (5-6) on a soft liner to center field. With two outs, Robles stole second and advanced to third on catcher Tyler Stephenson’s errant throw.
Following a walk to Randy Arozarena, Julio Rodriguez hit a chopper to the left side of the infield. Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz backhanded the ball but double-clutched before making a throw that eluded first baseman Sal Stewart and struck Rodriguez in the left hamstring. The Mariners’ star was credited with a run-scoring single.
Rodriguez left the game after that inning and team officials didn’t provide an update before the end of the game. Rodriguez returned to the lineup Saturday after being on the 7-day concussion list since July 2 when he was hit in the back of the helmet by a throw while sliding into second base.
The Mariners extended their lead with a six-run seventh. Robles and pinch hitter Luke Raley led off with singles to right off reliever Pierce Johnson, with Robles taking third on the latter. Rookie Colt Emerson’s sacrifice fly to left scored Robles.
Arozarena singled and Weston Wilson hit an RBI double into the right field corner. The Reds brought in lefty Caleb Ferguson, whom the Mariners acquired at last season’s trade deadline, and intentionally walked the left-handed-hitting Dominic Canzone to load the bases. The switch-hitting Raleigh crushed Ferguson’s first pitch deep to left-center to make it 7-0.
Raleigh came up with the bases loaded again in the eighth and got a run-scoring groundout for the final margin.
Abbott took the loss despite allowing just one unearned run on four hits over six innings. The lefty walked two and fanned six.
Mariners third baseman J.P. Crawford was a late scratch from the starting lineup. The team offered no immediate reason why.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Walk-off HBP lifts Angels past Cardinals in low-scoring affair
Jul 20, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels right fielder Jo Adell (7) reacts after a walk-off hit by pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Jo Adell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to give the Los Angeles Angels a 3-2 walk-off victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game series on Monday night in Anaheim, Calif.
The Angels, who were 0-48 when trailing after eight innings this season and had lost their last 106 such games, entered the bottom of the ninth behind 2-1.
Cardinals’ All-Star closer Riley O’Brien (3-4) struck out Mike Trout to begin the frame, but Nolan Schanuel followed with a single and Jorge Soler was hit by a pitch.
Vaughn Grissom then doubled off the top of the right field fence, missing a home run by inches, to drive in pinch runner Oswald Peraza with the tying run. After Jose Lowe was then intentionally walked to load the bases, Adell was plunked with a 3-0 sinker to drive in the game-winning run.
Adell also hit a home run among two hits and Schanuel also had two hits for Los Angeles, which won its second straight game. Jose Fermin (3-1) struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief to pick up the win.
Nathan Church went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Jordan Walker doubled and scored a run for St. Louis, which was coming off an 8-7 loss at Arizona on Sunday afternoon that saw it blow a 7-0 lead.
St. Louis took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Walker led off with a line-drive double over the head of Josh Lowe and to the fence in left field and advanced to third on a single by Lars Nootbaar. One out later, Church snapped an 0-for-30 drought with a single to right, driving in Walker and sending Nootbaar to third. Blaze Jordan then drove in Nootbaar with a groundout to third.
Los Angeles cut the lead to 2-1 in the third when Adell led off with his 14th home run, a 389-foot drive to left. The homer snapped an 0-for-24 streak for Adell.
The final inning overshadowed a pair of strong pitching performances from the starter. Angels right-hander Jose Soriano allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings, striking out seven and walking one. St. Louis right-hander Kyle Leahy gave up one run on three hits over six innings, striking out four with no walks.
–Field Level Media
